University at Albany sophomore faceoff specialist TD Ierlan has always been driven to get better, even after his biggest victories.

The morning after winning a state championship for Victor High School, Ierlan practiced his craft in the June heat on one of the school's athletic fields.

"He's unbelievable," UAlbany head coach Scott Marr said. "I don't know that I've seen a kid, work ethic-wise, that's done stuff on his own more than him."

Imagine, then, how motivated Ierlan could be by a loss. He still has a newspaper clipping taped to his bedroom mirror from UAlbany's 18-9 defeat to Maryland in the NCAA quarterfinals last season. Ierlan, who was second in the nation with a 70.8 faceoff winning percentage as a freshman, won only 14 of 30 in the lopsided defeat.

"Honestly, I think one of my relatives, they mailed (the article) to me because they just saw my name on it and they thought it was really cool," Ierlan said with a laugh. "And then when you read it, it pretty much talks about how they beat up on us a little bit and I obviously didn't have my best game. It had reference to how I got beat up by them, and it was accurate."

Ierlan and the top-ranked Great Danes (4-0) get another crack at the defending national champion Terrapins (5-0), who are ranked No. 2, when the programs meet at noon Saturday at Maryland Stadium.

While Ierlan would not frame this game in terms of personal redemption, he made it clear last year's season-ending loss served as a powerful stimulus.

"I just kind of used that (clipping) to kind of not be satisfied, whenever I'd see that," Ierlan said. "You don't want it to eat away at you. You've got to stop beating yourself up over it. I didn't feel sorry for myself. I figured I'd use it as motivation. Go into the weight room, work with my coach, and just try to get better every day."

The results are startling. Though only 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds, Ierlan is winning faceoffs at an otherworldly 86.7 percent, best in Division I. He's well ahead of even Denver's Trevor Baptiste (78.1 percent), a Tewaaraton Trophy finalist who led the country last year.

The NCAA Division I record is 77.6 by Towson's Mark Goers in 1994.

More Information

UAlbany vs. Maryland

When: Noon Saturday

Where: Maryland Stadium, College Park, Md.

TV: Big Ten Network

Ierlan feeds the monster that is the UAlbany offense, leading the nation with 15.75 goals per game.

Ierlan was 24-for-24 against Cornell last Sunday, one shy of the Division I record for faceoffs won in a 100-percent performance. The streak reached 37 straight until Massachusetts senior Noah Rak snapped it on Tuesday. Ierlan still won 17 of 23 against Rak and another UMass player in a 19-8 blowout.

"I definitely knew it was going to be a battle," Rak said. "You've got to be good at every aspect or you're not going to beat him."

Ierlan, whose nickname is short for Tristan David, calls his wing men "the best in the country." But he wins plenty of faceoffs to himself. He leads the nation with 15 ground balls per match, chasing them down with the athleticism of a former three-sport high school star. He also played football and was a champion wrestler, good training considering that faceoffs start with two players in a crouching stance who basically wrestle for the ball.

"You don't want to speak in cliches, but I really think that TD has the potential to really be the best ever," Victor lacrosse coach Jim Andre said.

Ierlan was known more for his wrestling before he was called up to the lacrosse varsity late in his freshman year at Victor. Too small to play midfield, he was tried at the faceoff X to help a struggling team.

"We hadn't been winning a lot of faceoffs, so my coach was like, 'Hey, you think you could take faceoffs? I heard wrestlers are supposed to be good at them,' " Ierlan said. "I was like, 'Sure, I guess,' and I went home and watched a couple of YouTube videos."

Now he puts on a clinic at the position. Shunned by some schools for his lack of size, Ierlan chose UAlbany over Towson. His father, Michael, said Ierlan brings a steady demeanor that's essential at the position.

"You're going to lose faceoffs, you're going to win faceoffs," TD Ierlan explained. "No matter what happened on the last one, you need to move on to the next one."